After making a few lanyards with 'Type I' paracord and a knitting spool/corker, I wanted to try it with regular 550 paracord. The only problem was the spool I had was too small to handle the larger diameter cord. So after a unsuccessful search for a suitable spool, I made my own using a wooden napkin ring and some 1 inch brads/nails. I predrilled the holes for the nails so they wouldn't split the wood when I tapped them in and it worked out fine. I also found an old dental pick to use for working the cord and it also does the job well.
The regular paracord makes a tighter braid than the smaller diameter cord, but still remains very flexible. The piece I'm working on is probably going to be used as a hatband, and I'm guesstimating that a 24 inch braid will use about 30+ feet of paracord(approximately 1.25 feet of cord used per inch of braid). If untied at the working end, the whole thing can be quickly unraveled for use in seconds if needed.
The diameter of the braided 'Type I' paracord is about 3/8 inch and for the regular paracord it's about 5/8 inch. I have some more photos showing how to start the braid with the 550 paracord on EDC Forums.
I've added a short YouTube video showing how to get started.
I am just starting a few projects, inspired by your site here. I made a spool this morning similar to the one you made. I even tried weaving a lanyard, although I was using a small nylon cord that didn't cinch or tighten up too well. But, I stopped when I realized I didn't know what to do when it was time to remove everything from the spool. Do you have any more pics or instructions here, or anywhere else. The EDC Forum seems to be down right now. Or, at least I couldn't find anything there.
ReplyDeleteAfter removing the work from the spool, take the working end and run it thru(inside towards out) each of the loops and pull it tight, this keeps it from unraveling. You can now finish by making a loop/lanyard knot with the strand and work it up close to the end of the braid and trim off or tuck any leftover cord down into the center of the braid.
ReplyDeleteHehe, hi,
ReplyDeleteWhat´s the name of this knot, if i may ask? hehe..
Thank you, and greeeeat blog.
It's a 'knitting spool braid', these were done with 3 pegs/nails on the spools.
ReplyDelete